Gorbachev helps fight cancer

A children's leukemia treatment clinic has been remodeled in St. Petersburg to become the largest in Russia. Funded by the Gorbachev Foundation and named in memory of the former Soviet President's wife, Raissa Gorbacheva, the hospital aims to offer the mo

This centre in St. Petersburg is set to become one of largest and most modern cancer-treatment clinics for children in Russia.

Inside the centre it is absolutely vital that everyone is covered up so that infection can't reach recovering patients. Before going into a room, hands must be cleaned with antiseptics so that the children are 100 % safe from bacteria from the outside world.

Denis is a four-year-old recovering from leukemia. A week ago – on his birthday – Denis underwent a bone-marrow transplant operation. The donor was his eleven-year-old brother.

“My son has been in treatment for nine months. He went through high-dose chemotherapy. After the transplant operation, he got better. I can't thank the doctors enough,” says Denis’s mother.

Denis, leukemia patient

Denis and his family are far from alone in the trauma of having to go through cancer treatment. Throughout Russia, about five thousand children get cancer every year.

To help cure more children, the clinic in St. Petersburg has been expanded to become a centre for the treatment of cancer in children.

The former President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, is personally overseeing the project.

His wife Raissa, who she died of leukemia eight years ago, was heavily involved in helping families struggling with cancer. So this new institute is named after her as a tribute to her work and life.

Now that the oncology centre has been made larger, with modern equipment being installed and the top personnel being employed, it offers greater hope to those who need it most – children.